Preparation and manipulation of high quality nucleic acids are primary requirements for a variety of applications, such as analyte-detection, sensing, forensic and diagnostic applications, genome sequencing, and the like. Electrophoretic manipulation of biomolecules such as nucleic acids is a mainstay in molecular and cell biology. Electrophoretic manipulation comprises gel electrophoresis, capillary electrophoresis, and electrophoresis in microfluidic or microanalytical devices, which enable purification and separation of specific biomolecules.
An electrophoresis setup generally uses standard metal electrodes, wherein the gases produced as by-products during electrode side-reactions may affect the chemical composition or pH of the liquid buffer, especially for a buffer volume with a comparatively lower buffer capacity. Therefore, challenges are associated with the use of standard metal electrodes in miniaturized devices, where the by-products generated in the presence of standard metal electrodes may destroy the utility of these small devices. This is due to the limited volume of liquid buffer available in the small devices and their inability to prevent the effect of the by-products, such as effect of a gas on the chemical composition or pH of the liquid buffer.
Redox polymer electrodes remain an intriguing alternative to metal electrodes in bio-analytical systems due to their ability to perform electron-to-ion transduction across redox electrode-liquid interfaces and reduce detrimental electrode side reactions. The redox polymer electrodes have become popular due to their excellent charge transfer properties, ease of implementing the liquid precursors into standard high-volume manufacturing processes and relatively lower production costs. However, the effects of the redox polymer electrodes on nucleic acids have not been reported so far.
For nucleic acid purification devices, biologically inert electrode material is desired. Single-use disposables, which may reduce or eliminate set-up and hands-on time during operation, remains one of the objectives. Therefore, there is a substantial need for smaller, simpler, inexpensive devices for faster elution of nucleic acids. A method for purification and elution of nucleic acids from a biological sample with minimal human intervention and in less time is therefore desirable.